Skip to content
Know.itKnow.it
Create an animated lesson
On request

This article is free to read. Creating a lesson uses your daily or stored credits; review the language and settings before starting.

What are allotropes?

ScienceLesson on requestFree to read

Quick answer

Allotropes are different physical forms of the same chemical element, where the atoms are arranged in different ways. Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon — yet one is the hardest natural material and the other is soft and slippery.

Key things to understand

  1. They're forms of one element with different atomic structures.
  2. Same atoms, different bonding patterns, very different properties.
  3. Carbon's allotropes include diamond, graphite, and graphene.
  4. Oxygen has allotropes too: the O₂ we breathe and ozone (O₃).
  5. The arrangement, not the atoms, gives each its traits.

People also ask

What is an example of allotropes?
Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon, but their different atomic arrangements make one extremely hard and clear, the other soft and gray.
How are allotropes different from isotopes?
Isotopes differ in neutrons inside the atom; allotropes are the same atoms arranged differently into different structures.
Why do allotropes have different properties?
Because properties depend on how atoms are bonded and arranged, not just which element they are.